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UNlTED STATES PATENT urren@ HENRY A. RUSCH, OF NEVVARK, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NICHOLAS SCHRODER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK; SARAHE. RUSCH ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID HENRY A. RUSCH, DECEASED.

' BlCYCLE-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,031, clated June21; 1898.

Application filed September 22,1396. SerialNo. soasse; &No iodel.)

To all whom 't 'may conccrn:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. RUscH, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Newark, in the county of Essex' and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycle-Saddles;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which IO it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification. 4 This invention hasfor its primary object I 5 to provide a novel Construction of saddle forVelocipedes in which the seat is made from stifi leather or othermaterial of a similar nature, the Construction of the saddle-seatbeingsuch thatit is forced into the proper shape zo of a saddle withoutthe application of hydraulic or other pressure when the edges of acentral opening in the seat portion are drawn together and are Securedby stitches,substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and

with the spring employed has an easy and natural motion,without the objectionable sagging of the' seat in the center, thereby resulting inaseat which readily yields to the formation of the body of the rider andto the various movements of the limbs. i

The invention therefore consists in the novel constructionbf saddle tobe hereinafter fully described,and finally embodied in the clauses ofthe claim. V Y By the Construction of the saddleseat a spring can beemployed,which may be Secured infixed positions at its ends tothe frontand back of the' seat portion, which' is thereby` caused to actin acushion-like manner, as 40 will. be fully understood from an inspectionof the drawings and the accompanying specification.

The invention isclearly illustrated in the 1. Fig. 4 is a Verticalcross-section taken on s'o line 4 4 in said Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is adiagramand tightly laced, as indicated in Fig. 7 ,wherematic view of ablank of the material constituting the main body-or seat portion of thesaddle; and Fig. is a cross -section of the same, taken on line 6 6 inFig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective View ofthe main body portion of thesaddle, and Fig. S is a View of one of the pads to be used in connectionwith the present construction of saddle.

Similar letters of reference are employed in all oftheabove-describedviews to indi- Cate like parts.

In said drawings, A indicates the 'complete saddle; a, the main body orseat portion of the same, which is made from tough leather or any othersuitable material, and a is a leatheror other like top cover adapted tobe Secured to the edge a of the main body or seat portion of the saddleby the threads b, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4; but it may beotherwise Secured thereto, as will be evident.

In constructing the saddle a blank of the contour illustrated in Fig. 5is cut from the material of which the saddle-seat is to be made, usuallya piece of sole or other tough leather, and the same is provided in itsmiddle with a longitudinal opening a of the segmental configurationsubstantially as shown. Around the edges of said opening 64 are smallperforations, as 60 which, as will be seen from Fig. 6, are formed at anangle to the longitudinal aXis of said blank and terminate in the sides(0 of said opening a substantially as shown. A waXed thread or cord cisthen, passed through said perforations a 5 by the blankillustrated insaid Fig. 5 is caused to be raised in the center and assume the shape ofa saddle-seat, as indicated in Fig. 7 and owing to the stiffness of thematerial used said seat will retain said shape, and that, too,without'the use of dies and great pressure to form the seatintoitsproper shape.

As will be seen from Fig.; 4, l havearranged upon the two surfaces a ofthe 'main body portion a of the saddle-seat a pair of pads-d, of felt orany other suitable material, which are of the shape illustrated in Fig.8.

The top piece or cover a', which corresponds in its Outline to that ofthe main porrco tion a is provided With a centrally-arranged` openingcorrespondin g tothe eontour of the opening a in said piece a, the edgesof said opening in the piece a' being stitehed to a welt a whereby saidtop piece assunes the shape illustrated in Fig. 1. On both sides of saidwelt (0 the said top piece or cover a' has been depressed, as at a toform a reeessed portion or indent ation in the middle of the completesaddle A in order to prevent discomfort and injury to the rider and atthe sane time providing a seat which When depressed in the middleretaius its normallyraised position, caused by the action, of the laeedcord or thread c, which draws the two halves of the seat togetherin themanner hereinabove stated and as clearly illustrated in Figs. i and 7. yy

At the back of the body portion or seat a and on its under side isSecured, by means of rivets e', a cantle c, and on the under side, nearthe front or pommel of said seat or body portion a, I have seem-ed, bymeans of the rivets or pins f', a ponnel-plate f, as clearly illustratedin Fig. 2. A spring g, of any suitable construction, is fixed at one ofits ends, by neans of'the said rivets f', to said plate f, and at itsother end the spring is fixed by means of a bolt 6 which is screwed intoa screw-threaded socket 6 in the cantle e, or it may be Secured theretoin any other wellknown manner.

Of course it will be evident that I inay employ any other suitableConstruction of spring.

From an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the eantle e isSecured directly upon the under side of the leather seat portion a, therivets e' passing through the holes in the cantle and said portion a andthen being clenehed on the opposite side of the portion a, Where saidclenched ends of the rivets are covered by the pads d and the top covera', th us providinga saddle-seat in which there are no rivet-headsexposed to View either at the top or the rear end of the saddle, as inthe eonstruction of saddles as heretofore made. When the cantle isSecured in this nanner, with the rear end of the resilient saddleportion a and its cover a' extending entirely beyond and not along oneside of the cantle, all pressure is in a downward direction, and theeord c, which is enployed to close the opening (E, will act exactly likea spring in drawing the side parts of the portion a together in thepeenliar nanner hereinabove stated, and the rivets cannot be pulledloose. Although the seat portion a will have sulfcient elasticity toproduce a very confortable saddleseat,Which Will conforn itself to thedifferent forms of different persons seated thereupon, there will be nosagging or stretching of the saddle-seat, and hcnce the use of take-upscrews in connection With the spring g will be entirely avoided.

From the above description it Will be seen that I have devised a verysimple Construction and a comfortablc and easy-riding sadeoaos dle, andon account of the Construction of the seat portion ait cannot sag in themiddle, resultingin a cushion-like seat which prevents any ehafing orother inju'y to the limbs or other parts of the body. i

All notion due to any Weight upon the saddle results in a downwardaction without an y forward or rearward movement, whereby alloscillatory motion is overcome and a practical saddle for bieycles andthe like has been constructed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The improvedsaddle for a bicycle or the like, consisting, of a main body portion orplate aiiforned from a blank of resilient and fiexible material, havingthe outline of a saddle-seat, supported at the rear by a cantle secureddirectly to the under surface of said plate and at the front by apommel-plate, said plate a having a longitudinally-arranged' opening ofa segmental contour, a thread or cord stitehed through the oppositeedges of said opening, Whereby said blank or plate (t is drawn intoshape and formed with a longitudinally arranged and centrallyraisedportion having a spring-like action When depressed, and also withdownwardly-fiaring sides adjacent thereto, and a spring Secured at itsends directly to said cantle and the pomnel-plate, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

2. The improved saddle for a bicycle or the like, consisting, of a mainbody portion or plate a formed from a blank of resilient and flexiblematerial, having the outline of a saddle-seat, supported at the rear bya `cantle secured directly to the under surface of said plate and at thefront bya pommel-plate, said plate a having a longitudinally arrangedopening of a segmental contour, a thread or eord stitehed through theopposite edges of said opening, Whereby said blank or plate a is draWninto shape and formed with a longitudinally arranged and eentrallyraised portion having a spring-like action When depressed, and also Withdownwardly-flaring sides adjacent thereto, a spring seeured at its endsdirectly to said cantle and the pomnelplate, and a top cover a' seeuredupon the top of said resilient plate a to cover said central row ofstitching, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' 3. The improved saddle for a bieycle or the like, consisting, of amain\` body portion or plate a formed from a blank of resilient andflexible material, having the outline of a saddle-seat, supported at therear by a cantle secured directly to the under surface of said plate andat the front bya pommel-plate, said plate a having alongitudinallyarranged opening of a segnental contour, a thread or cordstitehed through the opposite edges of said opening, whereby said blankor plate a is draWn into shape and formed With a longitndinally arrangedand eentrally raised portion having a spring-like action when de- IOOIIO

eoe,o31 i 3 i pressed, and also with downwardly -flaring sides adjacentthereto, a spring Secured at its ends directly to said cantle and thepommel- V plate, and a top cover a' Secured upon the top dle-seat,supported at the rear by a cartle se-- cured directly to the undersurface of said plate and at the frontbya pommel-plate, said plate ahaving a longitudinally arranged opening 60 of a segmentalcontour, andhaving small holes & contiguous to the opposite edgcs thereof, saidholes being obliquely placed and having their inner ends terminating inthe sides & of said opening, a thread or cord passed through said holesand drawn tight to close said opening & whereby said blank or plate a:is drawn into shape and for-med With a longitudinally and centrallyraised portion having a spring-like action When depressed, and also Withdownwardlyflaring sides adjacent thereto, and a spring Secured at itsends directly to the cantle and said pommel-plate, substantially as and-for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereuntoset my hand this 18th day of September, 1896.

HENRY A. RUSCH.

Witnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL, 'WM. H. CAMFIELD, Jr.

